Pointed Gourd

Patola (Pointed Gourd/Parwal) is an important medicinal vegetable. The plant is a perennial climber grown on trellises. The fruits are ovoid, green with white stripes, 2-4 inches long. It is bitter and pungent. It is one of the best vegetables recommended in Ayurveda for its medicinal qualities. It kindles digestive fire, is good for the heart, alleviates bleeding disorders and fever, and kills worms. It is commonly available throughout eastern and central India. Verses: 27-30.

• Deepana (appetizer)
• Hridya (cardiotonic)
• Raktapittahara (alleviates bleeding)
• Jwarahara (antipyretic)
• Krimighna (anthelmintic)

Diet after surgery – भोजनं च यथासा यं यवगोधूमषि टकाः मसरू मु गतव ु र जीव तीसु नष णकाः बालमूलकवताकत डुल यकावा तुकम ् कारवे लककक टपटोलकटुकाफलम ् सै धवं दा डमं धा ी घ ृतं त त हमं जलम ् जीणशा योदनं ि न धम पमु णोदको तरम ् भु जानो जा गलैमासैः शी ं णमपोह त The food of the patient should be that which is accustomed such as barley, wheat, rice of sixty day ripening (shashtika shali), Masura – lentil, Mudga (green-gram), Tuvari – (tur dal), Jivanti, Sunisannaka, tender Mulaka (Radish), Vartaka, Tan

— Astanga Hridaya Sutrasthan, Shastrakarma Vidhi

The juice of the bitter leaves of Patola (Trichosanthes dioica, pointed gourd), applied as a paste, certainly cures Indralupta (alopecia areata) within just three days.

— Sharangadhara Samhita, Uttara Khanda, Chapter 11: Lepa Vidhi (Topical Paste Application)

This remarkably simple remedy for patchy hair loss uses the bitter, Pitta-pacifying juice of pointed gourd leaves.

— Sharangadhara Samhita, Uttara Khanda, Chapter 11: Lepa Vidhi (Topical Paste Application)

Barley (Hordeum vulgare), red rice (Rakta Shali), brinjal (Solanum melongena), pointed gourd (Trichosanthes dioica), soup of meat from arid-land animals, Rohita fish, and alkaline preparations are recommended.

— Sharangadhara Samhita, Parishishtam, Chapter 28: Diet for Intoxication (Madatya Pathyapathyam)

Beneficial in Daha (burning sensation): old rice, green gram (Vigna radiata), barley, sugar, milk, pointed gourd (Trichosanthes dioica), dates (Phoenix dactylifera), pomegranate (Punica granatum), and coconut (Cocos nucifera).

— Sharangadhara Samhita, Parishishtam, Chapter 29: Diet for Burning Sensation (Daha Pathyapathyam)

Vastuka (Chenopodium album) greens, Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri), large ash gourd fruit (Benincasa hispida), pointed gourd, warm fresh milk, ghee washed a hundred times (Shatadhauta Ghrita), and clarified butter are beneficial.

— Sharangadhara Samhita, Parishishtam, Chapter 30: Diet for Insanity (Unmada Pathyapathyam)

In vartaka (eggplant), shigru (moringa), vandra, sura, patola (pointed gourd), and kirataka fruits and bitter herbs — tara, saindhava, tuttha, and rochana cooked and applied through a metal tube.

— Sushruta Samhita, Uttara Tantra, Chapter 11: Kaphabhishyanda Pratishedha Adhyaya (Chapter on Treatment of Kapha-type Conjunctivitis)

Old ghee with triphala, shatavari, patola (pointed gourd), amra, amalaka, and barley.

— Sushruta Samhita, Uttara Tantra, Chapter 17: Drishtigata Roga Pratishedha Adhyaya (Chapter on Treatment of Diseases of Vision / Drishti Roga)

Patola (pointed gourd) and Nimba (neem) soup is wholesome in Pitta-Kapha fever.

— Sushruta Samhita, Uttara Tantra, Chapter 39: Jvarapratishedha

The vegetable section describes: patola (pointed gourd) — bitter, light, digestive-stimulating, Pitta-destroying.

— Sushruta Samhita, Sutra Sthana, Chapter 46: Annapana-vidhi Adhyaya - On Food and Drink

Vegetables (Shaka-varga) and Fruits (Phala-varga) (Verses 131-200) The vegetable section describes: patola (pointed gourd) — bitter, light, digestive-stimulating, Pitta-destroying.

— Sushruta Samhita, Annapana-vidhi Adhyaya - On Food and Drink